So, if you've talked to me lately, you know my patience / tolerance has gone down to an all-time low. We've had more tire kickers, missed appointments, "family emergencies" *rolls eyes* and whatnot, and not only is it frustrating to me... it's unfair to the animals.
I think I posted about the one rat, where he had a deposit put on him, and then the person missed the 14 day cutoff for pickup, then asked for an extension to the weekend, then missed their weekend appointment. They didn't respond to my question if they were still coming, so I sent another message, basically saying they had so many days to pick him up, and whatnot. They then replied, saying they had been evicted, lost their place, had a cat and worried about his safety, yadda yadda. That may all be true, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they're lying. But think about the rat. How many people, in the meantime, could have potentially adopted him... if they'd just told me all of this, earlier on? And yes, in case you're wondering, there WERE people who asked about him in that time, that I told, oh he's on hold. Well... he's still here.
Fast forward to today... took him off hold when this happened, and had someone else come and want to adopt him. We set the appointment for today for pickup. They called yesterday to ask, could they come a half hour later than their scheduled time. I told them, that was fine, though I had someone a half hour after that, so it would need to be a quick appointment. No problem. I suppose you know from my writing this, they didn't show.
So I texted them... they had a family emergency. Because of course they did. Now... I realize, family emergencies do happen. But apparently, they happen at some exponentially high rate to people who are adopting animals, as almost every missed appointment is due to a family emergency. What's the chance? Not very good. Someone, out of those people, is not being completely honest.
So I replied saying I was sorry to hear, and asked when they wanted to reschedule. I still have not heard back.
I feel like I talked about this at an earlier point in time, this year, and maybe I intended to put it up... but never did.... We are now going to implement the policy that if you have a deposit on an animal, and then no-call no-show your appointment, you forfeit the deposit. In case you think this is overly harsh, let me tell you, this would only have affected like 3-5 people in the course of the last 16 years... so no, it's not going to completely change how we do things and affect a ton of animals... but hopefully it will entice people to send a message when something happens. Do things come up? Sure! But does it only take 30 seconds to send a text? Also sure! And it's really that simple. Don't want to lose your deposit? Call when you can't come. That's all... it's really that simple.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
How What You Do Affects Others
So, I know I go on and on about people missing appointments or showing up late, or whatnot, and yes, that is annoying (though most people do show up, albeit often late), but I wanted to share a real life example, which actually kind of upset me, of how something one person did, affected several other people / animals.
I have two seniors at the rescue right now, Mojo (12 years) and Dobie (13-14 years). Both standard grey chins, very nice boys, but, well, seniors. Seniors take a long time to be adopted, if they ever get adopted, unless we get people who are intentionally looking for seniors. It does happen, but it's not as often as the people looking for the oh-so-cute babies.
Anyway, someone called the one day, asking about senior chins. I was like YIPPEEE cause I actually HAD some seniors (sometimes people call and want seniors, and I don't have any... and then get in some right after). So we scheduled her for Sunday evening.
Now, Saturday evening, I had an adoption going on, where one of my fosters was bringing their foster chin back to the rescue to be adopted, and was going to take home new fosters. Because I was assuming the Sunday person would show up, and would want to see both seniors, and pick which one she wanted to take home, I did not send a senior home with the foster home. I wanted to! But I thought I had an adopter lined up, and didn't want to pass that up. So, I sent a trio of chins home with the foster anyway. I'm sure they will benefit, just fine, from more one-on-one attention, but not as much, IMO, as a senior that is already at the end of their life, and we want to make the end as great as the beginning.
I'm sure you have gathered from reading thus far, that the Sunday appointment did not show up. Nor did they call / text to say the would not be showing up. Nor did they answer my call / text to see if they wanted to reschedule. I have choice words for that.
They probably think, no big deal, because the chins may be adopted by someone else. And they may be. But there are a limited number of fosters, and all of them have recently taken new chins. So, figure, it'll likely be a couple months before either senior gets another chance to go into a foster home. Now, maybe they'll be adopted before that happens. That would be super! But by one person not showing up for their appointment, she likely set these chins back a couple months from being in a home environment. And to me, that's not ok. Why is it so hard to call?
Pic of Mojo below (haven't taken pics of Dobie yet, he's still under health evaluation):
I have two seniors at the rescue right now, Mojo (12 years) and Dobie (13-14 years). Both standard grey chins, very nice boys, but, well, seniors. Seniors take a long time to be adopted, if they ever get adopted, unless we get people who are intentionally looking for seniors. It does happen, but it's not as often as the people looking for the oh-so-cute babies.
Anyway, someone called the one day, asking about senior chins. I was like YIPPEEE cause I actually HAD some seniors (sometimes people call and want seniors, and I don't have any... and then get in some right after). So we scheduled her for Sunday evening.
Now, Saturday evening, I had an adoption going on, where one of my fosters was bringing their foster chin back to the rescue to be adopted, and was going to take home new fosters. Because I was assuming the Sunday person would show up, and would want to see both seniors, and pick which one she wanted to take home, I did not send a senior home with the foster home. I wanted to! But I thought I had an adopter lined up, and didn't want to pass that up. So, I sent a trio of chins home with the foster anyway. I'm sure they will benefit, just fine, from more one-on-one attention, but not as much, IMO, as a senior that is already at the end of their life, and we want to make the end as great as the beginning.
I'm sure you have gathered from reading thus far, that the Sunday appointment did not show up. Nor did they call / text to say the would not be showing up. Nor did they answer my call / text to see if they wanted to reschedule. I have choice words for that.
They probably think, no big deal, because the chins may be adopted by someone else. And they may be. But there are a limited number of fosters, and all of them have recently taken new chins. So, figure, it'll likely be a couple months before either senior gets another chance to go into a foster home. Now, maybe they'll be adopted before that happens. That would be super! But by one person not showing up for their appointment, she likely set these chins back a couple months from being in a home environment. And to me, that's not ok. Why is it so hard to call?
Pic of Mojo below (haven't taken pics of Dobie yet, he's still under health evaluation):
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Lots of Chins!
So, this was kinda funny. When I was at the Wisconsin show at the beginning of the month, I had another breeder tell me that one of my customers went to her, to get another chin. Why?
Because we are very nice here, but we have too many chins and they didn't understand how we care for them all.
Ha. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Now let me share why that's funny. At last count, we had around 60 chins, and around 120 animals total (guinea pigs, prairie dogs, rats, etc). The breeder they went to? 700+ chinchillas. And remember, the reason they went there was because was they wanted to go to a place that had less chinchillas and had more time to spend with the animals.
Here's the thing -- here at NWI Chins, we are VERY transparent. We let everyone into our rescue, you get to see the animals, where they live, and whatnot. Most places, well, simply do not. At the show, I talked with quite a few breeders and even a few people who run rescues, and most people will bring out a chinchilla that someone wants -- oh they want to see a beige? let me go get it for you -- rather than let the person in with the animals. Or they meet, away from the home. So what you see here is VERY different than the norm. But I try to be transparent.
Think about those people who don't let you in. Now, by no means am I saying they have anything to hide. I am NOT saying they abuse animals, or have poor conditions, or anything like that. But very simply, people who have never been to a large-scale animal operation are often shocked to see large numbers of animals, often in smaller cages, packed into a large room / barn. So, they don't let those people in. The meet at a parking lot, or in their kitchen, or whatever. So, the consumer sees that and doesn't realize, oh there's hundreds more.
Compared to almost every breeder / rescue I know, we are SMALL. Does that surprise you? I think the reason it often does surprise people is because we have "so many"... but because we are transparent and let people in, it is OBVIOUS that we have that many. When a rescue / shelter / breeder only brings out the animal you ask about, and the rest are behind closed doors (doors, mind you, that you are not allowed through), the thought may be that there's not that many. In reality, there's often many many MANY more than what we have... you just don't see them. Just something to think about.
Because we are very nice here, but we have too many chins and they didn't understand how we care for them all.
Ha. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Now let me share why that's funny. At last count, we had around 60 chins, and around 120 animals total (guinea pigs, prairie dogs, rats, etc). The breeder they went to? 700+ chinchillas. And remember, the reason they went there was because was they wanted to go to a place that had less chinchillas and had more time to spend with the animals.
Here's the thing -- here at NWI Chins, we are VERY transparent. We let everyone into our rescue, you get to see the animals, where they live, and whatnot. Most places, well, simply do not. At the show, I talked with quite a few breeders and even a few people who run rescues, and most people will bring out a chinchilla that someone wants -- oh they want to see a beige? let me go get it for you -- rather than let the person in with the animals. Or they meet, away from the home. So what you see here is VERY different than the norm. But I try to be transparent.
Think about those people who don't let you in. Now, by no means am I saying they have anything to hide. I am NOT saying they abuse animals, or have poor conditions, or anything like that. But very simply, people who have never been to a large-scale animal operation are often shocked to see large numbers of animals, often in smaller cages, packed into a large room / barn. So, they don't let those people in. The meet at a parking lot, or in their kitchen, or whatever. So, the consumer sees that and doesn't realize, oh there's hundreds more.
Compared to almost every breeder / rescue I know, we are SMALL. Does that surprise you? I think the reason it often does surprise people is because we have "so many"... but because we are transparent and let people in, it is OBVIOUS that we have that many. When a rescue / shelter / breeder only brings out the animal you ask about, and the rest are behind closed doors (doors, mind you, that you are not allowed through), the thought may be that there's not that many. In reality, there's often many many MANY more than what we have... you just don't see them. Just something to think about.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Asking for a Discount
So, I have a little story to tell you. True story, for once, this has nothing to do with chinchillas... though I will, of course, relate it to chinchillas.
So I had someone message me about a dishwasher I have for sale. The dishwasher is a portable countertop one, and retails for $300 new. This one that I had was in pristine condition, worked great... I just never hooked it up (and for how long it sat around, probably never would). So I put it up on fb marketplace for $125.
The first offer for it was $20, which naturally, was simply no.
The second person messaged me, told me their name, asked if it was interested, and said they had a couple questions. Ok, so I asked what the questions were. His first message was basically, "well, there's one for sale for $50, yours is $125." So I responded, saying, "why don't you get the one for $50? I'm not sure what your question is." He responded by saying that he lived near me, and the other one was in downtown Chicago (30 mins away) and he'd rather get the closer one. So I responded saying that I wasn't going to drop the price to $50, sorry. He responded, "get used to people going and buying the cheaper ones." Ok, whatever.
Here's the thing though -- this guy wanted me to drop the price $75... for his convenience. The only benefit to me was that I would sell the item, albeit at 2/3 off. But he wanted the discount, simply because it would be more convenient to him.
I looked up the ad for the $50 dishwasher, and there really was one. It had a picture that looked all dingy and dinged up, and absolutely no description. Did it work? Who knows? Did it include the inside racks / trays? Who knows, cause it only had one pic of the outside. What struck me is that, yes, it was cheaper, but without messaging the seller and asking more about it, you have no idea what you're getting.
The same goes for chinchillas. I occasionally get people who will message me and say, "well I really like this chinchilla you have for $200, but I can find one on craigslist for $75 and that includes cage and everything with it." And I have no doubt they can. I have actually asked people in the past... if it's such a great deal on craigslist, why are they messaging me? Well, as you may guess, there is a reason for it. See, these people like my health guarantee. And they like the way my animals look healthy, versus the animals on craigslist that, well, don't always. And they like the variety of colors. And they like that they're babies, and the one on craigslist is 8 years old. And they like the fact that I describe what the personalities are like, versus on craigslist, they don't, at all. But... for some reason, they think that, despite the fact that I have all these additional things to offer, I should offer the chinchilla, with everything, at the super cheap price. Sorry, but no.
It's simple... you want additional benefit, you will pay for it. Not just here.. anywhere! You buy airline tickets... if you want those refundable, they cost a bit more. You buy a used car, if you want the extended warranty, it costs more. Sure, you can get it cheaper, but if it breaks and you don't have that warranty, well, you get the idea.
If you've followed us for any length of time, you know that we have sales, periodically. So I'm not above lowering prices, at times. Nothing wrong with that. But I won't be price-matching people on craigslist any time soon, and just like for the dishwasher guy, I won't lower the price just because there's a better deal elsewhere. People are welcome to shop wherever they like. This isn't Walmart, where the margins are sky high. I'm not sorry about any of that, because this is a small business / small rescue, and it all just is what it is. That is all.
So I had someone message me about a dishwasher I have for sale. The dishwasher is a portable countertop one, and retails for $300 new. This one that I had was in pristine condition, worked great... I just never hooked it up (and for how long it sat around, probably never would). So I put it up on fb marketplace for $125.
The first offer for it was $20, which naturally, was simply no.
The second person messaged me, told me their name, asked if it was interested, and said they had a couple questions. Ok, so I asked what the questions were. His first message was basically, "well, there's one for sale for $50, yours is $125." So I responded, saying, "why don't you get the one for $50? I'm not sure what your question is." He responded by saying that he lived near me, and the other one was in downtown Chicago (30 mins away) and he'd rather get the closer one. So I responded saying that I wasn't going to drop the price to $50, sorry. He responded, "get used to people going and buying the cheaper ones." Ok, whatever.
Here's the thing though -- this guy wanted me to drop the price $75... for his convenience. The only benefit to me was that I would sell the item, albeit at 2/3 off. But he wanted the discount, simply because it would be more convenient to him.
I looked up the ad for the $50 dishwasher, and there really was one. It had a picture that looked all dingy and dinged up, and absolutely no description. Did it work? Who knows? Did it include the inside racks / trays? Who knows, cause it only had one pic of the outside. What struck me is that, yes, it was cheaper, but without messaging the seller and asking more about it, you have no idea what you're getting.
The same goes for chinchillas. I occasionally get people who will message me and say, "well I really like this chinchilla you have for $200, but I can find one on craigslist for $75 and that includes cage and everything with it." And I have no doubt they can. I have actually asked people in the past... if it's such a great deal on craigslist, why are they messaging me? Well, as you may guess, there is a reason for it. See, these people like my health guarantee. And they like the way my animals look healthy, versus the animals on craigslist that, well, don't always. And they like the variety of colors. And they like that they're babies, and the one on craigslist is 8 years old. And they like the fact that I describe what the personalities are like, versus on craigslist, they don't, at all. But... for some reason, they think that, despite the fact that I have all these additional things to offer, I should offer the chinchilla, with everything, at the super cheap price. Sorry, but no.
It's simple... you want additional benefit, you will pay for it. Not just here.. anywhere! You buy airline tickets... if you want those refundable, they cost a bit more. You buy a used car, if you want the extended warranty, it costs more. Sure, you can get it cheaper, but if it breaks and you don't have that warranty, well, you get the idea.
If you've followed us for any length of time, you know that we have sales, periodically. So I'm not above lowering prices, at times. Nothing wrong with that. But I won't be price-matching people on craigslist any time soon, and just like for the dishwasher guy, I won't lower the price just because there's a better deal elsewhere. People are welcome to shop wherever they like. This isn't Walmart, where the margins are sky high. I'm not sorry about any of that, because this is a small business / small rescue, and it all just is what it is. That is all.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Low Chinchilla Prices
So, when people email me asking about lower priced chins, that's fine. Nothing wrong with not wanting to spend $200 on a chinchilla... I mean, most small animals are CONSIDERABLY cheaper than even a $75 chinchilla, so I get it. But at some point... it gets ridiculous.
I had someone email the other day, asking if we had any chinchillas available under $100. Sure! Those would be our standard grey adults, which are $75 for adults and $50 for seniors. So I wrote up an email for his guy and sent him a list... I think there was like 5-7 chins on the list, mostly adults and one senior.
The response back asked where I was located and if I would lower some prices to 50, please. I mean, he wasn't mean about it or anything, but... no. Before I could even send a reply email, I received a second from him saying, "what about this one chin you mentioned? (a 4 year old, the youngest on the list) how low can you go for her?" Then ANOTHER email, "or do you have any females under 2 years old for $100 or less"
Now, first, I don't have any females under 2 years old for $100 or less (at least, not at the time I write this). But also... note.. it has to be a female. Hmmmmm.
I hate to say it, but often times the people lowballing like this, are the ones that SEE the chins selling for high prices, and think "OOOOH!! I CAN BREED AND MAKE THOSE PRICES TOO!! NOW TO GET CHINS DIRT CHEAP!!!" They don't take into account... there's a reason my chins are selling for certain prices, and when you take $50 chins... the babies often LOOK like they're out of $50 chins (and may have all sorts of health problems to boot).
Anyway, at this point I know that he's not getting any of my chins, so whatever... I replied back saying, "The prices are what they are. This is not a garage sale, this is a chinchilla rescue. Would you go to the Humane Society and ask for lower prices? I bet not. If you cannot afford $75, you will have a hard time affording the monthly cost to care for a chinchilla."
Now, he did send me back an email saying thank you.... but I mean... no. The prices of $75 for your average adult are reasonable... especially considering that MOST are not old (our average age is 2-5 years for adults) and they can live 15-20 years! And I really do believe, if you can't afford that, it's gonna be hell paying for upkeep and all that. That is all.
I had someone email the other day, asking if we had any chinchillas available under $100. Sure! Those would be our standard grey adults, which are $75 for adults and $50 for seniors. So I wrote up an email for his guy and sent him a list... I think there was like 5-7 chins on the list, mostly adults and one senior.
The response back asked where I was located and if I would lower some prices to 50, please. I mean, he wasn't mean about it or anything, but... no. Before I could even send a reply email, I received a second from him saying, "what about this one chin you mentioned? (a 4 year old, the youngest on the list) how low can you go for her?" Then ANOTHER email, "or do you have any females under 2 years old for $100 or less"
Now, first, I don't have any females under 2 years old for $100 or less (at least, not at the time I write this). But also... note.. it has to be a female. Hmmmmm.
I hate to say it, but often times the people lowballing like this, are the ones that SEE the chins selling for high prices, and think "OOOOH!! I CAN BREED AND MAKE THOSE PRICES TOO!! NOW TO GET CHINS DIRT CHEAP!!!" They don't take into account... there's a reason my chins are selling for certain prices, and when you take $50 chins... the babies often LOOK like they're out of $50 chins (and may have all sorts of health problems to boot).
Anyway, at this point I know that he's not getting any of my chins, so whatever... I replied back saying, "The prices are what they are. This is not a garage sale, this is a chinchilla rescue. Would you go to the Humane Society and ask for lower prices? I bet not. If you cannot afford $75, you will have a hard time affording the monthly cost to care for a chinchilla."
Now, he did send me back an email saying thank you.... but I mean... no. The prices of $75 for your average adult are reasonable... especially considering that MOST are not old (our average age is 2-5 years for adults) and they can live 15-20 years! And I really do believe, if you can't afford that, it's gonna be hell paying for upkeep and all that. That is all.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Good Things to Know Before Getting a Guinea Pig
So, we had someone reach out to us a bit ago asking about things that we felt she should know before she jumped in head first and got a guinea pig. I wrote up a reply, and then thought, this would be beneficial for more than just her, so here we go:
First thing I would suggest is to take a look at our guinea pigs care packet, here -- https://www.nwichinchillas.com/guinea-pig-documents -- and I will elaborate on some additional things as well:
They do tend to be (and tend to remain) flighty animals, as far as when you reach in the cage... and this seems to be the case, no matter how much you handle them. They can be LESS flighty / terrified over time, but it's rare to just be able tor reach in the cage and pet one (to be fair... this is true of most small animals). Once you pick them up and hold them, most just melt and you can pretty much hold them forever. That's what makes them so loveable!
They drink a LOT of water. 16 ounces, for a guinea pig or two, is probably a couple days. We use 32 oz. water bottles on our guinea pig cages, and I feel like I spend half my life filling them (course, I also have a bunch here at the rescue). Definitely would advise to go bigger on water bottles, as small ones will be a pain to keep filled, right from the get go, and definitely have a spare or two, so you can take one off and wash, and still have another one on there for them to drink (or swap them out, or however you'd like).
They also eat a lot of veggies... about a cup per pig per day. That adds up quickly, so stock up! If your family eats a lot of veggies, this may not be a big deal, as you'll already have them in the home, but if not, you will be stocking up weekly at the store, as the stuff they eat isn't all that long lasting, especially the leafy type stuff.
Because of the water intake, and the veggie intake (which contain a lot of water), they pee and poo, a lot. The poo is relatively dry, but obviously, pee is pee, and we change our guinea pig cages about 2x per week. You can definitely tell when they need to be cleaned, as they can get icky quick! Obviously, the bigger the cage, the less frequent you will have to clean it... if you go with a 30 x 18 cage (which would be similarly sized to what we keep our piggies in), it's going to need the weekly cleaning (if not 2x... depends on your preference as well), but if you move up to a larger cage, you might be able to go 1.5-2 weeks between cleanings, and potentially even longer if you spot clean and just remove the soiled areas. I think the cleaning, for the guinea pigs, is what takes awhile.... probably no longer than say cleaning a rabbit, but I'm used to chinchillas, and they can go a week... so to me, it seems the guinea pigs get dirty quick!
They make all sorts of cute noises! Unless those noises are irritating to you, and then... they're less cute. Haha. They can easily learn what the sound of the veggie bag is, or scooping pellets, or whatnot. For us, we use metal coffee cans to haul around the food and scoop from those to feed the animals. The guinea pigs here know EXACTLY what the sound is when we scoop from our feed bins into those coffee cans and start wheeking away! Basically, it's one of those "I want something!!" noises. It's usually cute. Usually.
They do like to hide, so some sort of hide or igloo is good to have for them... if they get spooked, the first place they run is in their hide, so for security purposes and their wellbeing, there should be a hide.
They need their nails trimmed. I can't tell you how many guinea pigs I get in with horrible nails, simply because people didn't know it had to be done. Just periodically, like trimming a dog's nails.
I think that's the main stuff... definitely take a look at the care packet and let me know if you have any additional questions.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Yelp and Other Online Paid Marketing Sites
So, I've had people who've wanted to be helpful, and a lot of people suggest, oh get a paid listing on yelp, get a paid listing on the local paper website, that sort of thing.
I believe I did post about this way back when (I know I did for yelp, but more specifically for the local paper), we did have ads running on their website... it never generated any real traffic, but it did zap the cash in our wallet. That was a couple years ago, so that's ended. Yelp, on the other hand, does have a free version, and periodically, they call me and try to talk me into the paid version, saying that my page will be more visible to more people who would be interested, and yadda yadda. I know I've talked about this before, because this happens every so often. Anyway, the thing is, I already get 400000 phone calls asking if (1) we found their lost dog, (2) we can take in their dog / cat, (3) we provide shot / veterinary services to animals, (4) we can help them when there's a loose dog in their yard. Actually, about 80% of phone calls we receive are that type of phone call.... and I don't think Yelp is helping that.
Oh but it gets better. When people are on Yelp, and they find your page, they can request a quote for services. I don't get these often, but maybe 1-2 a month, and they always seem to be completely off the wall things, that of course, we do not do. I think the last one was that someone was looking for a kitten. Now, I can reply to these and say, we do not take in (and therefore, do not adopt out) kittens... and I do... but it does say, right on the Yelp page these people are looking at, what we are, what we do, and so on.
This was from a couple days ago:
So, John from San Francisco, CA, is looking for a c-section in zip code 60609 (Chicago, IL).... and they choose to reach out to... a chinchilla rescue?
...and they want me to pay, to share my details with MORE people. Because, um... I wouldn't just end up with more like this?
I once (well, probably multiple times) have expressed my concern about how I'm getting more calls about unrelated issues, things we don't handle, to the Yelp people who incessantly call me, and their response is, "oh well it'd be targeted, you'd be under the "rescue" category" -- I ALREADY AM! That's why people are calling about cats / dogs / strays / etc. Um... no. I'm good.
I believe I did post about this way back when (I know I did for yelp, but more specifically for the local paper), we did have ads running on their website... it never generated any real traffic, but it did zap the cash in our wallet. That was a couple years ago, so that's ended. Yelp, on the other hand, does have a free version, and periodically, they call me and try to talk me into the paid version, saying that my page will be more visible to more people who would be interested, and yadda yadda. I know I've talked about this before, because this happens every so often. Anyway, the thing is, I already get 400000 phone calls asking if (1) we found their lost dog, (2) we can take in their dog / cat, (3) we provide shot / veterinary services to animals, (4) we can help them when there's a loose dog in their yard. Actually, about 80% of phone calls we receive are that type of phone call.... and I don't think Yelp is helping that.
Oh but it gets better. When people are on Yelp, and they find your page, they can request a quote for services. I don't get these often, but maybe 1-2 a month, and they always seem to be completely off the wall things, that of course, we do not do. I think the last one was that someone was looking for a kitten. Now, I can reply to these and say, we do not take in (and therefore, do not adopt out) kittens... and I do... but it does say, right on the Yelp page these people are looking at, what we are, what we do, and so on.
This was from a couple days ago:
So, John from San Francisco, CA, is looking for a c-section in zip code 60609 (Chicago, IL).... and they choose to reach out to... a chinchilla rescue?
...and they want me to pay, to share my details with MORE people. Because, um... I wouldn't just end up with more like this?
I once (well, probably multiple times) have expressed my concern about how I'm getting more calls about unrelated issues, things we don't handle, to the Yelp people who incessantly call me, and their response is, "oh well it'd be targeted, you'd be under the "rescue" category" -- I ALREADY AM! That's why people are calling about cats / dogs / strays / etc. Um... no. I'm good.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Picking and Choosing Animals
Now, let me start this by saying, there is nothing wrong with having preferences.
Say someone wants to adopt a chinchilla -- great! Let's say they want a grey -- great! Let's say they want a white -- great! May take more time for that white to show up at the rescue, but it's possible! Let's say they want an angora -- eh, getting too picky.
I've noticed this trend lately... and of course, people will want what they want, but the trend has been for wanting things that don't end up in rescue. "Oh, I want an angora chinchilla... as a rescue." Well.... they're still like $750+ for those, so... chances are they are not ending up at a rescue. None have ever ended up here, nor have any ended up at any rescue I've ever been in contact with. Why? Because they are sellable.
The one that has really been prevalent lately has been regarding rabbits. As you may have seen, we have Ellie up for adoption. So, people have been calling, not wanting to adopt her, mind you, but to ask if we have other rabbits up for adoption. Specifically, mini lop-eared rabbits, preferably super super young. Uh, no. In the 16 years of running this rescue, for about 14 of those, we did take in rabbits (and even now, we still occasionally have them at foster homes)... we have rehomed over 1000 animals. Only ONE of those was a lop-eared rabbit, and if I remember correctly, he was at least an adult, if not an ancient senior.
The thing is, I appreciate people wanting to adopt. I do. But to some extent... I feel like you can't be overly picky. Rescues and shelters will get in what they get in. I can't go somewhere and post, "hey, if anyone wants to re-home a baby lop-eared rabbit, I'm happy to take it cause we have a home lined up!"... that's unfortunately not how that works. Again, a rabbit like that would be highly sellable, cause almost everyone loves lops and those floppy ears. And that's fine, but that tends to mean that not a lot of little lops, that are also young, tend to end up in rescue. When we would take in rabbits, a good chunk of the ones we would take in would be cage aggressive, large-breed rabbits that would not do well in the average home. That's what rescues get! And that's fine... but it's not the rabbit that homes tend to think of, when they say, "oh I'd like a rabbit."
Adopting is great... the selection, not always so much :/
Say someone wants to adopt a chinchilla -- great! Let's say they want a grey -- great! Let's say they want a white -- great! May take more time for that white to show up at the rescue, but it's possible! Let's say they want an angora -- eh, getting too picky.
I've noticed this trend lately... and of course, people will want what they want, but the trend has been for wanting things that don't end up in rescue. "Oh, I want an angora chinchilla... as a rescue." Well.... they're still like $750+ for those, so... chances are they are not ending up at a rescue. None have ever ended up here, nor have any ended up at any rescue I've ever been in contact with. Why? Because they are sellable.
The one that has really been prevalent lately has been regarding rabbits. As you may have seen, we have Ellie up for adoption. So, people have been calling, not wanting to adopt her, mind you, but to ask if we have other rabbits up for adoption. Specifically, mini lop-eared rabbits, preferably super super young. Uh, no. In the 16 years of running this rescue, for about 14 of those, we did take in rabbits (and even now, we still occasionally have them at foster homes)... we have rehomed over 1000 animals. Only ONE of those was a lop-eared rabbit, and if I remember correctly, he was at least an adult, if not an ancient senior.
The thing is, I appreciate people wanting to adopt. I do. But to some extent... I feel like you can't be overly picky. Rescues and shelters will get in what they get in. I can't go somewhere and post, "hey, if anyone wants to re-home a baby lop-eared rabbit, I'm happy to take it cause we have a home lined up!"... that's unfortunately not how that works. Again, a rabbit like that would be highly sellable, cause almost everyone loves lops and those floppy ears. And that's fine, but that tends to mean that not a lot of little lops, that are also young, tend to end up in rescue. When we would take in rabbits, a good chunk of the ones we would take in would be cage aggressive, large-breed rabbits that would not do well in the average home. That's what rescues get! And that's fine... but it's not the rabbit that homes tend to think of, when they say, "oh I'd like a rabbit."
Adopting is great... the selection, not always so much :/
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
What Does It Cost to Care for a Chinchilla? & Costs of Running the Rescue
I think I once priced this out before, but let's do it again, to sort of piggyback on the previous post.
The cost to care for one chinchilla per month:
Pellets -- 3 pounds -- $3.75
Hay -- 2 pounds -- $2.00
Dust -- 2 pounds -- $2.50
Chew toy -- $5.00
Bedding -- $8.00
---------------------------------
$21.25
(obviously, this is not including the necessities like water, food bowl, water bottle, that sort of stuff, this is assuming you have all that... this is just monthly cost)
Now, these are the prices if you were to buy the stuff from us... so it is slightly cheaper for us to do it, since we are buying in bulk (and it would be a bit more expensive, if you were to go get these supplies at the pet store). However, you may or may not know... we do not make a lot of money on stuff! For example, the last batch of bedding that I bought, I paid I think $7 per bag... and sold at $8... so not making loads of profit here (we are still low on bedding and do not have any to sell, in case you are wondering). Since we do get stuff at a slightly lower cost, though, let's say it costs $20 to care for one chin per month, just in actual costs (as in, not including cleaning, watering, caring for, etc).
At the time I am writing this, we have...
57 Chinchillas
13 Guinea Pigs
14 Rats
2 Prairie Dogs
11 Birds (4 doves, 7 quail)
1 Hamster
Just to make it easy, let's say they all cost about $20 / month per animal to pay for their food / hay / etc.... and to be fair, most will cost at least that, though some of the animals (like the guinea pigs, which also require fresh food daily) cost considerably more than $20 / month per animal.
This equals out to a total of 98 animals. At $20 / month / animal, that's $1,960 per month just in actual costs to care for them. Does that seem high to you? Not to me, actually... because we tend to average $2,000-$3,000 per month in expenses! And this isn't counting the electricity, air conditioning, gas for vehicles, event fees, paying paid help, or even vet costs (among other things, of course).
So what do the adoption fees and supply sales pay for? Paying for all of this! Basically, keeping the rescue open! So please, keep this in mind... both when you go to adopt an animal (there will be costs involved in keeping it! the adoption fee is not the only cost) AND when you think about complaining about prices... there is a reason they are what they are!
The cost to care for one chinchilla per month:
Pellets -- 3 pounds -- $3.75
Hay -- 2 pounds -- $2.00
Dust -- 2 pounds -- $2.50
Chew toy -- $5.00
Bedding -- $8.00
---------------------------------
$21.25
(obviously, this is not including the necessities like water, food bowl, water bottle, that sort of stuff, this is assuming you have all that... this is just monthly cost)
Now, these are the prices if you were to buy the stuff from us... so it is slightly cheaper for us to do it, since we are buying in bulk (and it would be a bit more expensive, if you were to go get these supplies at the pet store). However, you may or may not know... we do not make a lot of money on stuff! For example, the last batch of bedding that I bought, I paid I think $7 per bag... and sold at $8... so not making loads of profit here (we are still low on bedding and do not have any to sell, in case you are wondering). Since we do get stuff at a slightly lower cost, though, let's say it costs $20 to care for one chin per month, just in actual costs (as in, not including cleaning, watering, caring for, etc).
At the time I am writing this, we have...
57 Chinchillas
13 Guinea Pigs
14 Rats
2 Prairie Dogs
11 Birds (4 doves, 7 quail)
1 Hamster
Just to make it easy, let's say they all cost about $20 / month per animal to pay for their food / hay / etc.... and to be fair, most will cost at least that, though some of the animals (like the guinea pigs, which also require fresh food daily) cost considerably more than $20 / month per animal.
This equals out to a total of 98 animals. At $20 / month / animal, that's $1,960 per month just in actual costs to care for them. Does that seem high to you? Not to me, actually... because we tend to average $2,000-$3,000 per month in expenses! And this isn't counting the electricity, air conditioning, gas for vehicles, event fees, paying paid help, or even vet costs (among other things, of course).
So what do the adoption fees and supply sales pay for? Paying for all of this! Basically, keeping the rescue open! So please, keep this in mind... both when you go to adopt an animal (there will be costs involved in keeping it! the adoption fee is not the only cost) AND when you think about complaining about prices... there is a reason they are what they are!
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Cost of Chins
So, a lot of people at expos have been asking lately about the cost of chins, why is this one more than this one, and so on. I know I've talked about this before, but wanted to touch on it again.
Rescues tend to be $75 for greys and $100 for colors. Almost always. The exception would be when these are on sale, and then the rescues tend to drop to $65 for greys, $75 for colors.
Babies (which are almost never rescues) start at $135 and go up. Most are $200 or under, though there are some that go up higher than that, if they're a curly or unusual color, or something of that nature. Again, these will drop some when there's a sale going on... the $135 ones drop to $110, and ones that are $250 tend to drop to $200 or so. So they do go down a bit, but not excessively.
The thing lately that people have been saying / commenting on, is they want the babies at the adult prices. I'll have an adult for $100 and a same-color baby for $250, and they ask if I'll lower the baby to the adult price. Now, come on... do you go to a shelter and ask them for a cheaper price on the puppies? Or a breeder? No? Well, why not? Because even the shelters tend to charge more for younger animals / puppies / kittens.... it's nothing new.
Had someone mention a couple days ago that they wanted a baby chinchilla, and asked how much they were... it was actually kind of funny because they told me they'd seen all my ads -- all of which have prices on them -- and so I specified, they start at $135 and go up from there. Oh, well she'd seen some by her for $70. Now, that's fine... but I'm not going to drop my price to that. Long story short, she ended up saying she'd call back if they decided to get one. I didn't hear back, but that night, I did notice that I also had an email from this person (looked like it was sent prior to the phone call), so I sent a quick response saying that if they ever needed anything, whether the chinchilla or advice, or whatnot, feel free to reach out. That morning, I got a text that said that the chinchilla was out of their price range, they were looking for a $50 rescue.
Well... as you should know from reading this post... our chins, even the least expensive ones, are over $50. We occasionally have grey seniors at $50, but mind you, this person wanted a grey baby. Freshly weaned. Nothing wrong with that... but it just won't be $50.
I replied that none of our chins are that cheap, and that ours start at $75 (but again, for an adult... not a baby) and she basically said that that wouldn't work for her family, at the moment. Again, that's fine... but let's not forget, these chins will live as long as the average dog / cat... so why do we try to pay for them like they're an oversized hamster? There is definitely cost in caring for them. Even if you want to say that the food and that sort of thing is cheap-ish (and it's not insanely expensive... until you have a ton of animals), the air conditioning for them IS expensive, as is the electricity bill, as is paying someone to help... it all adds up! That's why our adoption fees are what they are -- to keep the lights on, keep the animals fed and cared for, and whatnot.
Rescues tend to be $75 for greys and $100 for colors. Almost always. The exception would be when these are on sale, and then the rescues tend to drop to $65 for greys, $75 for colors.
Babies (which are almost never rescues) start at $135 and go up. Most are $200 or under, though there are some that go up higher than that, if they're a curly or unusual color, or something of that nature. Again, these will drop some when there's a sale going on... the $135 ones drop to $110, and ones that are $250 tend to drop to $200 or so. So they do go down a bit, but not excessively.
The thing lately that people have been saying / commenting on, is they want the babies at the adult prices. I'll have an adult for $100 and a same-color baby for $250, and they ask if I'll lower the baby to the adult price. Now, come on... do you go to a shelter and ask them for a cheaper price on the puppies? Or a breeder? No? Well, why not? Because even the shelters tend to charge more for younger animals / puppies / kittens.... it's nothing new.
Had someone mention a couple days ago that they wanted a baby chinchilla, and asked how much they were... it was actually kind of funny because they told me they'd seen all my ads -- all of which have prices on them -- and so I specified, they start at $135 and go up from there. Oh, well she'd seen some by her for $70. Now, that's fine... but I'm not going to drop my price to that. Long story short, she ended up saying she'd call back if they decided to get one. I didn't hear back, but that night, I did notice that I also had an email from this person (looked like it was sent prior to the phone call), so I sent a quick response saying that if they ever needed anything, whether the chinchilla or advice, or whatnot, feel free to reach out. That morning, I got a text that said that the chinchilla was out of their price range, they were looking for a $50 rescue.
Well... as you should know from reading this post... our chins, even the least expensive ones, are over $50. We occasionally have grey seniors at $50, but mind you, this person wanted a grey baby. Freshly weaned. Nothing wrong with that... but it just won't be $50.
I replied that none of our chins are that cheap, and that ours start at $75 (but again, for an adult... not a baby) and she basically said that that wouldn't work for her family, at the moment. Again, that's fine... but let's not forget, these chins will live as long as the average dog / cat... so why do we try to pay for them like they're an oversized hamster? There is definitely cost in caring for them. Even if you want to say that the food and that sort of thing is cheap-ish (and it's not insanely expensive... until you have a ton of animals), the air conditioning for them IS expensive, as is the electricity bill, as is paying someone to help... it all adds up! That's why our adoption fees are what they are -- to keep the lights on, keep the animals fed and cared for, and whatnot.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Odd Responses / Clear Communication
So, I've gotten a couple of these lately, and I'm curious what these mean... for example...
Me: When are you wanting to come see the chin? (or cage, or whatever?)
Them: I'm in Chicago.
...and?
I suppose, to the person saying it, they know exactly what it means. But word to the wise, not everyone does.
Does this mean, "I'm in Chicago, so I'm closeby and can come any time" OR "I'm in Chicago, so that is WAY TOO FAR, I won't come at all," OR "I'm in Chicago, so I'm letting you know how long it will take me to get there"? The thing is, I don't know, and there's almost never any context to tell me which one it is.
So often, I just repeat the question... so, when are you wanting to come by?
In no way am I saying this to make fun of people or anything of the sort... just sometimes I think that we think we're communicating clearly... and sometimes we're not, and need to think about how others may read what we write. That is all.
Me: When are you wanting to come see the chin? (or cage, or whatever?)
Them: I'm in Chicago.
...and?
I suppose, to the person saying it, they know exactly what it means. But word to the wise, not everyone does.
Does this mean, "I'm in Chicago, so I'm closeby and can come any time" OR "I'm in Chicago, so that is WAY TOO FAR, I won't come at all," OR "I'm in Chicago, so I'm letting you know how long it will take me to get there"? The thing is, I don't know, and there's almost never any context to tell me which one it is.
So often, I just repeat the question... so, when are you wanting to come by?
In no way am I saying this to make fun of people or anything of the sort... just sometimes I think that we think we're communicating clearly... and sometimes we're not, and need to think about how others may read what we write. That is all.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Custom Wood Items
Did you know we can do custom wood items? We can!
We actually have a page on our website that shows some of the items we've made in the past. See this page, here --> https://www.nwichinchillas.com/custom-creations
The latest custom request was that someone wanted us to make a house that looked like this...
...but out of real wood (instead of plywood), so it would be both safe, and last much longer. We talked about dimensions, hole size, and all sorts of things needed for me to figure out how to make it, and here's the final house!
We can make houses, toys, bridges, all sort of custom fun stuff. Custom houses / larger items start at $15 and go up from there, depending on size and complexity. For bridges / toys, contact with info on what you're looking for, for a price quote!
We actually have a page on our website that shows some of the items we've made in the past. See this page, here --> https://www.nwichinchillas.com/custom-creations
The latest custom request was that someone wanted us to make a house that looked like this...
...but out of real wood (instead of plywood), so it would be both safe, and last much longer. We talked about dimensions, hole size, and all sorts of things needed for me to figure out how to make it, and here's the final house!
We can make houses, toys, bridges, all sort of custom fun stuff. Custom houses / larger items start at $15 and go up from there, depending on size and complexity. For bridges / toys, contact with info on what you're looking for, for a price quote!
Monday, October 7, 2019
Payment Plans / Payment Arrangements... and Getting Screwed
This will be the last post that tags along on previous days for a bit.... but I wanted to touch on other "payment agreements" -- and why those rarely work out, for the same reason as payment plans. Also, I wanted to post this as sort of a PSA (public service announcement, for those not familiar with internet lingo), so you all don't end up using the same person that screwed me over. I almost never mention names... but I don't want someone else to get screwed, so this person is on blast. Sorry, not sorry.
Back in mid June (6/18), I got a call from a Hannah Mae Ottley. She called me saying that she loved my website and loved the logo, but had a thought for how she could do another logo for me, and asked if I'd be interested to see it. I said sure, and so she sent me an email. I emailed back, saying I liked the logo, and would be happy to pay her for it, and she said we would work something out as far as payment. On 6/26, I requested a minor change to the logo, which she completed the same day. When she replied to my email about the change, she didn't send me the actual amended logo file, but rather, screenshots of the changed logo on t-shirts. I figured I would get the actual file later, and didn't bother her about it, at that time.
Around that time, she also specified that she could do an entire identity design for me, where she could change the website, come up with business cards, promotional materials... basically do all sorts of goodies. You know, offering to do all sorts of stuff. I told her, I did not need all of that done, I just would like the original logo that we talked about, and I also asked if she could come up with two shirt designs that I had ideas for. She said she could, that would be no problem.
So I hadn't heard from her for a couple days, and then randomly, I got a call one day from someone named Hannah wanting to set up an appointment. When this person came by, she told me, "oh by the way, I'm the Hannah that created the logo for you." I thought it was kind of odd that she wouldn't specify that on the phone, but whatever. She looked at the chins we had here and found one she liked. She went home to think about it, and then ended up texting me a couple days later, saying she wanted to get the chin. She asked, what if we did half off the price of the chinchilla, in exchange for the logo she did and the two t-shirt designs I wanted. I said that was fine.
On 7/7, Hannah came over and adopted the chin. It's marked on the invoice that the chinchilla she got was $200, with a $100 discount for the logo / artwork. I didn't pester Hannah for the logo / artwork, as I figured, I would just one day open my email and I would have it sitting there. However, that never happened. A few times, I would receive texted pictures of the chin, who she named Koda, but always with a note that "she couldn't talk right now" because she was at work or something. I always felt that was kinda odd, and now, looking back, I feel like it possibly was a hint for me to not ask her about the logo / artwork since she was "busy."
Well, now with expos coming up, I wanted that logo done and the artwork for the shirts done as well. So... on 9/6, I sent her a text. It was actually a fairly nice text, where I wasn't a bitch or anything, but rather, I specified that I didn't believe she'd ever sent me the actual file with the amended logo, and I also didn't have the t-shirt artwork that we'd talked about, and I needed her to send those to me. I reminded her of what I was looking for, for the t-shirt designs, and ended by saying that now was the time we needed to get those rolling, so we'd have these for upcoming expos.
For previous texts (like when she'd texted with the chin photos, and prior to adopting, when she was pushing her graphic design work), she'd always texted right back or emailed right back, but this time, I didn't hear from her for a day or two (for her, that was long), so on 9/7, I figured I would also send her an email with basically the same thing written in the email, in case she might see that first. Fast forward to 9/12, hadn't heard anything, so I went on her website -- http://designedbyhannah.com/ -- to see if I had the correct email and whatnot. Yep, her email on the website is the same as what I have, and she also had a business facebook account on there, so I messaged that account as well. Nothing. So, I sent her another email on the 12th, basically stating that I hoped this was somehow a big misunderstanding and I was waiting to hear from her... but I hate to say, I don't think it is... as she basically has been unavailable and "busy" now that she has her chin (her end of the deal), and here I am, left high and dry without my part of the deal. I told her in the email that I feel like she's intentionally avoiding me, and that I would share this story with my people, so they would know to not use her for their graphic design needs, if I didn't at least hear from her... and the fact that you're reading this means that, I never did hear from her.
Looking back, what I should have done was not hand over the chinchilla until I had my logo / artwork, or charge her the entire amount and then refund the half-off-amount once I had my logo / artwork. Unfortunately, I assumed that she would keep her word and complete her part of the deal, and she did not.
I since have had another graphic design person reach out and offer to try and do the things I need, so we shall see how that goes. I still need to send them what I have from her, and my ideas for the other shirt designs... and see if it's something they're able to do (they're a starting off person). If anyone else would like to pitch in their services, I am happy to see what other people come up with as well! Just stay away from Hannah's graphic design services, if you actually want anything done...
Back in mid June (6/18), I got a call from a Hannah Mae Ottley. She called me saying that she loved my website and loved the logo, but had a thought for how she could do another logo for me, and asked if I'd be interested to see it. I said sure, and so she sent me an email. I emailed back, saying I liked the logo, and would be happy to pay her for it, and she said we would work something out as far as payment. On 6/26, I requested a minor change to the logo, which she completed the same day. When she replied to my email about the change, she didn't send me the actual amended logo file, but rather, screenshots of the changed logo on t-shirts. I figured I would get the actual file later, and didn't bother her about it, at that time.
Around that time, she also specified that she could do an entire identity design for me, where she could change the website, come up with business cards, promotional materials... basically do all sorts of goodies. You know, offering to do all sorts of stuff. I told her, I did not need all of that done, I just would like the original logo that we talked about, and I also asked if she could come up with two shirt designs that I had ideas for. She said she could, that would be no problem.
So I hadn't heard from her for a couple days, and then randomly, I got a call one day from someone named Hannah wanting to set up an appointment. When this person came by, she told me, "oh by the way, I'm the Hannah that created the logo for you." I thought it was kind of odd that she wouldn't specify that on the phone, but whatever. She looked at the chins we had here and found one she liked. She went home to think about it, and then ended up texting me a couple days later, saying she wanted to get the chin. She asked, what if we did half off the price of the chinchilla, in exchange for the logo she did and the two t-shirt designs I wanted. I said that was fine.
On 7/7, Hannah came over and adopted the chin. It's marked on the invoice that the chinchilla she got was $200, with a $100 discount for the logo / artwork. I didn't pester Hannah for the logo / artwork, as I figured, I would just one day open my email and I would have it sitting there. However, that never happened. A few times, I would receive texted pictures of the chin, who she named Koda, but always with a note that "she couldn't talk right now" because she was at work or something. I always felt that was kinda odd, and now, looking back, I feel like it possibly was a hint for me to not ask her about the logo / artwork since she was "busy."
Well, now with expos coming up, I wanted that logo done and the artwork for the shirts done as well. So... on 9/6, I sent her a text. It was actually a fairly nice text, where I wasn't a bitch or anything, but rather, I specified that I didn't believe she'd ever sent me the actual file with the amended logo, and I also didn't have the t-shirt artwork that we'd talked about, and I needed her to send those to me. I reminded her of what I was looking for, for the t-shirt designs, and ended by saying that now was the time we needed to get those rolling, so we'd have these for upcoming expos.
For previous texts (like when she'd texted with the chin photos, and prior to adopting, when she was pushing her graphic design work), she'd always texted right back or emailed right back, but this time, I didn't hear from her for a day or two (for her, that was long), so on 9/7, I figured I would also send her an email with basically the same thing written in the email, in case she might see that first. Fast forward to 9/12, hadn't heard anything, so I went on her website -- http://designedbyhannah.com/ -- to see if I had the correct email and whatnot. Yep, her email on the website is the same as what I have, and she also had a business facebook account on there, so I messaged that account as well. Nothing. So, I sent her another email on the 12th, basically stating that I hoped this was somehow a big misunderstanding and I was waiting to hear from her... but I hate to say, I don't think it is... as she basically has been unavailable and "busy" now that she has her chin (her end of the deal), and here I am, left high and dry without my part of the deal. I told her in the email that I feel like she's intentionally avoiding me, and that I would share this story with my people, so they would know to not use her for their graphic design needs, if I didn't at least hear from her... and the fact that you're reading this means that, I never did hear from her.
Looking back, what I should have done was not hand over the chinchilla until I had my logo / artwork, or charge her the entire amount and then refund the half-off-amount once I had my logo / artwork. Unfortunately, I assumed that she would keep her word and complete her part of the deal, and she did not.
I since have had another graphic design person reach out and offer to try and do the things I need, so we shall see how that goes. I still need to send them what I have from her, and my ideas for the other shirt designs... and see if it's something they're able to do (they're a starting off person). If anyone else would like to pitch in their services, I am happy to see what other people come up with as well! Just stay away from Hannah's graphic design services, if you actually want anything done...
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Payment Plans
So, this is kind of tagging along with the last post which talked about people crucifying vets for requiring people to pay for their services.... often in a lot of these instances, people pay the required amount at the beginning... and then never pay the rest.
I've only had one experience with someone wanting to do a payment plan (deposits and that sort of thing excluded), back maybe 4ish years ago. They wanted to get four chins, which I believe amounted out to the $300-400 range, and they wanted to pay so much per week until the chins were paid off. This person also wanted to take the chins home early on, but that wasn't happening.
Anyway, they were supposed to send me the first payment that Friday, and then the payments would follow every so often, starting after that. Friday came and went, no payment. I sent this person an email, asking if they still wanted the chins, as I hadn't gotten their payment as agreed to. Yes, they did, but something had come up, they wouldn't be able to pay until next Friday. Naturally. So, next Friday rolls around. No payment. Sent them another message, this time specifying that I would not be holding the chins for them any longer (I had been), if I did not receive payment. Oh, they'd had an unexpected bill, but could I hold them a couple more days?
Mind you, this wasn't just one chin, this was four. Anyway, they said they'd have the payment by mid-week, and I didn't have any appointments scheduled for people coming to look at chins, so I didn't actually have any opportunity to tell people whether they were, or weren't on hold. You guessed it! I never received payment, never heard from them. I didn't contact them after that.
I have occasionally heard back from this person, always inquiring about chinchillas (though, not four lol). The last time they inquired, they specified that they wanted to adopt a chinchilla that was in a foster home, and I specified that we would need an appointment set, before I would bring the chin here. Knowing this person's track record, I was also going to require a deposit on the chin, before bringing it from the foster home (that's actually pretty standard, so we're not transferring chins and then having them not get adopted). She said setting the appointment was fine... and then never responded to my following message. I messaged again, twice actually, prior to when the chin would have been transferred, to remind this person, that if she wanted the chin here to adopt, we needed to (among other things) set an appointment. This was on facebook, so I could see that she read the message... and never replied.
That chin was later adopted by someone else.
The point is, see what happened here on a payment plan. She never paid the initial money, and never took the chins home... but if she had taken the chins home on the promise to pay... see how much effort I had to extend to try to get her to pay (and yet, she never did). Does a vet's office have time to do that? Heck no. Heck, do I have time to do that? Heck no. And, further, the same person that was super flaky on the payment plan, also was flaky later on with another chin she wanted to adopt. Not saying everyone is like this, of course, but this just gives you an example of what can happen.... and that's why most vets (and we) don't accept payment plans.
I've only had one experience with someone wanting to do a payment plan (deposits and that sort of thing excluded), back maybe 4ish years ago. They wanted to get four chins, which I believe amounted out to the $300-400 range, and they wanted to pay so much per week until the chins were paid off. This person also wanted to take the chins home early on, but that wasn't happening.
Anyway, they were supposed to send me the first payment that Friday, and then the payments would follow every so often, starting after that. Friday came and went, no payment. I sent this person an email, asking if they still wanted the chins, as I hadn't gotten their payment as agreed to. Yes, they did, but something had come up, they wouldn't be able to pay until next Friday. Naturally. So, next Friday rolls around. No payment. Sent them another message, this time specifying that I would not be holding the chins for them any longer (I had been), if I did not receive payment. Oh, they'd had an unexpected bill, but could I hold them a couple more days?
Mind you, this wasn't just one chin, this was four. Anyway, they said they'd have the payment by mid-week, and I didn't have any appointments scheduled for people coming to look at chins, so I didn't actually have any opportunity to tell people whether they were, or weren't on hold. You guessed it! I never received payment, never heard from them. I didn't contact them after that.
I have occasionally heard back from this person, always inquiring about chinchillas (though, not four lol). The last time they inquired, they specified that they wanted to adopt a chinchilla that was in a foster home, and I specified that we would need an appointment set, before I would bring the chin here. Knowing this person's track record, I was also going to require a deposit on the chin, before bringing it from the foster home (that's actually pretty standard, so we're not transferring chins and then having them not get adopted). She said setting the appointment was fine... and then never responded to my following message. I messaged again, twice actually, prior to when the chin would have been transferred, to remind this person, that if she wanted the chin here to adopt, we needed to (among other things) set an appointment. This was on facebook, so I could see that she read the message... and never replied.
That chin was later adopted by someone else.
The point is, see what happened here on a payment plan. She never paid the initial money, and never took the chins home... but if she had taken the chins home on the promise to pay... see how much effort I had to extend to try to get her to pay (and yet, she never did). Does a vet's office have time to do that? Heck no. Heck, do I have time to do that? Heck no. And, further, the same person that was super flaky on the payment plan, also was flaky later on with another chin she wanted to adopt. Not saying everyone is like this, of course, but this just gives you an example of what can happen.... and that's why most vets (and we) don't accept payment plans.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Paying for Vet Care
So, this blog's inspiration is coming from some facebook groups and things people have posted recently...
Often, whether in chinchilla groups, dog groups, what have you, when a pet gets sick or gets injured, I see comments saying that since the animal is hurt, the vet should see it for free. When the comment back states that the vet won't see the animal without payment (either up front, before treatment, or on the date of service), people literally lose their minds and say how horrible the vet is, and how the vet is only out for money.
Now, hold on a second. Vets -- in fact, no business for that matter -- are NOT obligated to make special accommodations for people who can't afford their services. Try going to a restaurant, walk in the door, and say you can't pay. Will they give you food? Likely not. Try taking your car to a mechanic, and then when it's fixed, say you have no money. You're not getting your car back. Try going to a grocery store, and screaming that the grocery store "only cares about money!!!" when you get to the register and are expected to PAY for your groceries, just like everyone else. Everywhere, I repeat, EVERYWHERE makes you pay for the goods / services. With the exception of programs for the homeless / starving, everywhere else, you have to pay. Why do we think vets should be different? Do they not have the same bills to pay (electricity, heating / cooling, etc) that the grocery store does? It's not unreasonable or evil to require payment before performing a service. They have their bills to pay too!
Then people suggest payment plans. I think that will be my next blog post, but the cliff notes version is this -- payment plans rarely work out in anyone's favor, especially the person lending the money, as often the person who should be paying, never shows up to pay the rest. So, what incentive is there for the vet to offer that?
I understand, vet care can be expensive. Of all people, I know... we often are spending money on vet care for our small animals, and I have dogs as well, and that all adds up! But by no means do I think that vets should not be allowed to make a living, or *gasp* get PAID for their services, because someone has an injured pet.
How about -- HOW ABOUT!! -- we take responsibility for our actions. If we want to have a pet, we know that vet bills might come with that pet. If we're responsible, we understand that we should have money put aside for these unforeseen bills, or even have a credit card so we have some way to pay for them when the time comes.... rather than expect someone else to pay for our pets. That is all.
Often, whether in chinchilla groups, dog groups, what have you, when a pet gets sick or gets injured, I see comments saying that since the animal is hurt, the vet should see it for free. When the comment back states that the vet won't see the animal without payment (either up front, before treatment, or on the date of service), people literally lose their minds and say how horrible the vet is, and how the vet is only out for money.
Now, hold on a second. Vets -- in fact, no business for that matter -- are NOT obligated to make special accommodations for people who can't afford their services. Try going to a restaurant, walk in the door, and say you can't pay. Will they give you food? Likely not. Try taking your car to a mechanic, and then when it's fixed, say you have no money. You're not getting your car back. Try going to a grocery store, and screaming that the grocery store "only cares about money!!!" when you get to the register and are expected to PAY for your groceries, just like everyone else. Everywhere, I repeat, EVERYWHERE makes you pay for the goods / services. With the exception of programs for the homeless / starving, everywhere else, you have to pay. Why do we think vets should be different? Do they not have the same bills to pay (electricity, heating / cooling, etc) that the grocery store does? It's not unreasonable or evil to require payment before performing a service. They have their bills to pay too!
Then people suggest payment plans. I think that will be my next blog post, but the cliff notes version is this -- payment plans rarely work out in anyone's favor, especially the person lending the money, as often the person who should be paying, never shows up to pay the rest. So, what incentive is there for the vet to offer that?
I understand, vet care can be expensive. Of all people, I know... we often are spending money on vet care for our small animals, and I have dogs as well, and that all adds up! But by no means do I think that vets should not be allowed to make a living, or *gasp* get PAID for their services, because someone has an injured pet.
How about -- HOW ABOUT!! -- we take responsibility for our actions. If we want to have a pet, we know that vet bills might come with that pet. If we're responsible, we understand that we should have money put aside for these unforeseen bills, or even have a credit card so we have some way to pay for them when the time comes.... rather than expect someone else to pay for our pets. That is all.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Cost of Items (part 2)
The same can be said of the houses. Take for example, the cottage hidey house. It sells for $20 at the moment.
This house is 11 x 8, and requires 46" of wood to make. It also requires glue, rubberbands to hold it together while it is drying, and of course, the hole saws to cut the holes. Wood isn't horribly expensive... but much of that other stuff is higher.
Our one hole saw is a 4.25" one. Just a quick search on HomeDepot.com shows a wide variety of prices, though this is similar to the one we have -- https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-4-1-4-in-Big-Hawg-Carbide-Hole-Saw-49-56-9255/305211255 -- it is $49.99. We also have a smaller hole saw, a 2.5" one. Again, searching online, https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-2-1-2-in-Diamond-Hole-Saw-49-56-5660/204994418 -- $34.97. Now, hold up, can't use a hole saw without an arbor -- https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-7-16-in-Quick-Change-Large-Hole-Saw-Arbor-No-Wobble-W-W-Pilot-Drill-Bit-49-56-9100/203113673 -- $21.47.
So, just to have the pieces necessary (not counting the drill) to make the holes in the houses, the equipment costs us $106.43. Mind you, I'm on my second of the large hole saws, and third arbor -- this stuff unfortunately doesn't last forever.
The houses take about an hour to make, from cutting the wood, to using the whole saws to drill the holes, to sanding the houses, to piecing them together and letting them dry.
I was recently told by someone in business that a business should charge, at the very minimum, $10/hour for labor, plus 2x the cost of materials. Hypothetically, if we want to look at that... the wood for this house is probably about $4 or so. That would mean $8 in wood. If we want to say it takes exactly an hour to cut / sand / assemble / etc, that's another $10. So $18 total would be their minimum cost for the house. We charge $20, because I'm not sure how that ~$107 in necessary equipment is supposed to be factored into the cost... but at some point, the money from the houses has to pay for the equipment needed to make the houses, or what's the point, right? And not only that, but it'd be good to have money made after just paying off the cost to make the item, so there's money for the animals! I mean, right?
So, I guess just try to think about this sort of stuff, if you're ever looking at a product a small business made, and thinking oh that's too much -- maybe it is -- but often, a lot goes into certain things that people don't think about. There's often more involved that's not obvious, but is factored into the price.
This house is 11 x 8, and requires 46" of wood to make. It also requires glue, rubberbands to hold it together while it is drying, and of course, the hole saws to cut the holes. Wood isn't horribly expensive... but much of that other stuff is higher.
Our one hole saw is a 4.25" one. Just a quick search on HomeDepot.com shows a wide variety of prices, though this is similar to the one we have -- https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-4-1-4-in-Big-Hawg-Carbide-Hole-Saw-49-56-9255/305211255 -- it is $49.99. We also have a smaller hole saw, a 2.5" one. Again, searching online, https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-2-1-2-in-Diamond-Hole-Saw-49-56-5660/204994418 -- $34.97. Now, hold up, can't use a hole saw without an arbor -- https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-7-16-in-Quick-Change-Large-Hole-Saw-Arbor-No-Wobble-W-W-Pilot-Drill-Bit-49-56-9100/203113673 -- $21.47.
So, just to have the pieces necessary (not counting the drill) to make the holes in the houses, the equipment costs us $106.43. Mind you, I'm on my second of the large hole saws, and third arbor -- this stuff unfortunately doesn't last forever.
The houses take about an hour to make, from cutting the wood, to using the whole saws to drill the holes, to sanding the houses, to piecing them together and letting them dry.
I was recently told by someone in business that a business should charge, at the very minimum, $10/hour for labor, plus 2x the cost of materials. Hypothetically, if we want to look at that... the wood for this house is probably about $4 or so. That would mean $8 in wood. If we want to say it takes exactly an hour to cut / sand / assemble / etc, that's another $10. So $18 total would be their minimum cost for the house. We charge $20, because I'm not sure how that ~$107 in necessary equipment is supposed to be factored into the cost... but at some point, the money from the houses has to pay for the equipment needed to make the houses, or what's the point, right? And not only that, but it'd be good to have money made after just paying off the cost to make the item, so there's money for the animals! I mean, right?
So, I guess just try to think about this sort of stuff, if you're ever looking at a product a small business made, and thinking oh that's too much -- maybe it is -- but often, a lot goes into certain things that people don't think about. There's often more involved that's not obvious, but is factored into the price.
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